My long nails wrapped around the old wooden boards of the train tracks buried amongst layers of grey gravel. The steel beams running either side were boiled under the sun slowly cooking them and my own body. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1RrJkTTER9
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9S7Ezr7Yoq
The sky was clear, as it had been for a week now, with not a grey cloud in the sky. It was the perfect temperature too. The air was cool but not cold enough to freeze me or hot enough to choke me. It was pleasant to idle in on my wander to the house in the distance. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH7gtoh0Ran
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ14FkTi5GQD
I kept my eyes locked on the tracks running as far as the eye could see through overgrown fields of grass that rippled like water in the breeze. My pace turned to excited running and my heart gripped at my chest when I saw a flash of orange and blue emerge from the house in the distance. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWgtJAhGcn7
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOTR4br5IvY
I bounded over the river and paused on the other side where people were moving across the empty road to the shops lined either side. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdPcw0RRAWa
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyiE9t0V3QQ
I was in clear sight of them now. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtIgj2vAGzt
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqsjpf8SmjX
"Soup!" the tiny voice blew on the breeze to catch my attention again. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe5hWhQwHA4
It was so faint, but it was the sound I was waiting for. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZw04E2tEkK
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBtMgYLD5O
A portly man approached the tracks as quick as his waddling body allowed, placing distance between us so he could squint in the direction of the house. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsk0msCqbr0
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡroEF1MC32L
He was the news agency owner here. His balding head with a halo of grey hair and leathery skin once roughed by laborious work in his youth was easily distinguishable. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTxtXi8hr7b
His corner-shop was only a few meters from the tracks so he could have the time to waddle out each afternoon I made my appearance to make himself known. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWtw59WQocp
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHLf2HTLakx
I used to call him Bartleby. He preferred Bartie.342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxafZkWON72
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi7786gYW5D
"MISSY!" Bartie cupped his hands around his mouth before pointing them to me "you've got to stop feeding the beast!" 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7AHU7BSZM6
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ZDRWKjrtP
I snickered at his concern and walked past Bartie before he cleared his throat to halt me. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnEUhUnOlKf
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp6cngIxBLC
"You be good to her, Soup, you hear?" he scowled and waved a finger to me "I'll know if you do anything to her!" 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7f7g0wMV9n
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuBCjqYLky9
He had no reason to worry so much. It was the same empty threat he had been giving me for three months straight now. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDjSl8wrkOl
I just shook off Bartie's concern and raced for the woman waving for me to come. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzu8Sys45pQ
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ964KP56Rv
I was smitten with her. She was so kind and had this wonderful light voice that was rougher around the edges. She had the most adorable freckles painted on her face and a lovely round body that she liked to swamp in knitted jumpers or flowing dresses she made. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1OpEnxlw5q
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8qdREyawQ
When her features began to form on the figure bobbing closer into focus, I grinned wildly and pushed myself to sprint for her laughing face bent down to search for me through the sea of grass. I swam through it to break through to her open gate held back for me. Her scooter was heaved back into its stand here too. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotS66O1lta
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZs7aAaAVc
Missy stood on the wooden stairs to her porch hugging the front half of her little wooden home. It was a very cost place made entirely of old wood painted in a muted green. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ2rWSLeuiE
It had herbs growing in the windows glimpsing into her sewing room in the left where she had spools of fabric hung on the wall next to her machine and dotted cloth mannequins. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEB1LIjsfJO
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUl9glx13R1
Her right window had parts of her kitchen on show. I had peered into it a few times when I had been too eager to wait, watching her cook on her gas oven nestled within stone countertops while she shooed me away with a smile. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡshUfhGF6th
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHAW9K7bpCM
Missy had the window wide open to waft out the smell of the food she had been cooking. The rich beef spiralled around the earthy tones of stock and tangy herbs freshly plucked from her windows. I could smell the carrots and buttery pumpkin I knew were harvested from her garden nestled out the back. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxCR9Oj5gel
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQOV3go6PAN
That's how we had met. I had been raiding her gardens at night before she caught me and chased me off. After a few nights of futile attempts to stop me, and several vegetables left discarded in my escape, she started offering me her leftovers before it became proper meals. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9gl1L2khZZ
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMJGHdqLtQ
She didn't know what to call me, so she called me Soup. It was her favourite thing to feed me, and the easiest on her budget made selling homemade dresses. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Xzvi6a0eQ
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzpE3Ruc5XT
"Soup!" Missy cooed down to me waiting at the bottom of her stairs "I missed you! I'll grab your food. I think you'll like it today." 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Up019TNmh
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9fcNXbGGE
I liked how her voice rose excitedly when she saw me. It sounded like she was greeting a lifelong pet dear to her heart. I didn’t mind that; I was just glad she loved me so dearly to put this much effort into caring for me. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3nD0CBpyf3
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0uc3oZJiV
"Beef soup with my own vegetables and the local meat. I cooked it with teriyaki before putting it in" Missy exclaimed as she returned carrying two stone bowls and carefully placing one down on the grass for me. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0Zy8x8NrK
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡna4S6MFuID
My mouth was watering when I saw the mixture of colours beside me. Steam spiralled from the fresh meal Missy set down so she could fan out her checkered blue and white dress to sit on the stairs. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG5wKNTVA4k
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyHv1WbBARr
She cradled her soup in her lap while I blew onto mine to try and cool it enough to scoff it down. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjK4m7yXggi
My stomach was begging for the hot meal that little birds and discarded rubbish along the roads could never satisfy. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2JaSdrRb6l
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcWLbfPuvP3
"Thank you" I grinned to her and wrapped my hands around the hot bowl so I could lift myself onto my legs and drink it down. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Y5P4uwN8i
Soup spilled down my chest to burn trails down my skin before I could swipe then up. The chunks of beef were chewy and wedged between my teeth. The bitter teriyaki coated all its layers to bring out the meaty flavour. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2uzjZqQkuy
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡss1sQvXXC0
It was the cheap meat again. I don't think Missy could afford anything like the ones that fell from the bone or had soft marbles of fat throughout rather than thick coats. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDq7txSdgB
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5k3NrGMv9
She grinned and watched me try to keep my balance as I felt the meal burn a new hole in my stomach that growled for more. My legs trembled, not used to being so relied upon when I had all four of my limbs to power me effortlessly now. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡramlAtGFXv
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRuThBv8H6L
I placed the bowl beside her and lowered myself back down. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmYQPfG6X1B
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDbEGI2Cz5x
"More please" I pointed.342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyM1SpUrGZZ
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsmrlOVETV
She couldn't understand me but smiled like she had. All she heard were the same noises I did whenever I spoke in this form. It was just a mixture of growls and low snaps that I preferred to keep quiet, so I didn't scare her. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ79klYd088
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbRvo6A0zG
Missy liked it when I talked to her, and I liked it when I made Missy happy. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC3zNmUFI6D
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGU2v6HDpZ
"You're hungry today" she mused "did I not feed you enough yesterday?" 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdFbxXqC4d1
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwCQqaOFJ6h
I just smiled and watched her retreat back inside, leaving her bowl on the stairs. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNaye4r26cT
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCd4tXSCKCv
Missy was the type of person I would grow old with as a human. I often let my mind wander to what we could be if I hid behind my skin again as a human and tried to form a relationship with her in this home built for two. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRIz2sG45u
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxmkY8KNFjP
Despite having a sunny personality and being loved in town, Missy liked her quiet life. She didn't want her heart to be broken or taken advantage of. She was worried she was too poor to ever please a man or mother children. She hated that she was too scared to reach out and form those connections. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUtL3itz3Gh
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtIgcwqMSOl
She liked me because I was an animal to her. I had no commitments other than one hot meal a day. I wasn't going to make her sad or upset her simple lifestyle with big ambitions. I didn't drain her trickling budget or offer anything outside the trinkets of lost belongings or junk I presented her with. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt3f2vs5eRY
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7XevnH9Lc
I didn't want to ruin that. I kept in this form and didn't dare to try and act on my daydreams of being accepted into her life as her partner with open arms. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQsDNelP36y
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvDKNgJzmar
I ate my soup and accepted her new name for me that spread through the town. It was simple and the way things were. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzz0K7PA3Q
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDDq7rlUhD
"Here we go!" Missy returned from the house along with two slices of crusty sourdough she had pushed into the bowl "buttered it for you too, you greedy guts. I'm surprised you didn't eat mine." 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUWffgxvF0k
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGECtbG4DO
I was lucky to have her. She was too kind to be so afraid of life itself. Missy deserved more than it was handing her.342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9okFJcblWT
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9p8wXu4bN
I took the filled bowl to drop one of the slices of bread into her own before shovelling this one down greedily. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzel13rYpq8
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvWdTyPFSI
I could feel the warmth of it leaking down my front from the inside and bubble in my gut gurgling from so much liquid drowning it at once. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwdrntfrnv
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVpCnnhyJiv
I snapped down the tough meat, licked the bowl, then headed back for the wall of grass awaiting me. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHezsB2dL7
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHnyr8CvdG4
"See you tomorrow?" Missy called out with a worried frown. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiS3D9p0DmJ
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzPY71K0Geo
Of course, she would. I would never leave her wondering where I had gone. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe5jwl5Weoe
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtBblfGEbsL
I nodded and disappeared into the grass to follow the train tracks back to the East. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGBSlWqhK51
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvntGRzKPeR
I stared up at the moon nestled in amongst the glittering stars from my grassy ledge curved over several meters from the tracks behind me. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwtXcBg28n3
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUtH2mDTwbe
The field surrounding me was dancing with wildflowers that stirred at the touch of glowing fireflies blinking through the air like showers of floating embers. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwDAWQkazq
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGhYI4OhxiH
They flitted like fire in the cool air and amongst the flowers. The fireflies reached for the stars themselves and I watched them ascend to the dusted void above. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyF1aNXwXiY
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBcQ7BYfDE
It was so peaceful here with only the moonlight basking over the land. There was no artificial glow of streetlights or the sound of cars screeching on tar. The only sound piercing through the silence was the scraping of metal as the train thundered by on its nightly route to distant towns. Each lit window slashed over the grass below, reminding me of the loud and bright reality amongst the dark serenity until it was gone again. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPF0Om6FTEx
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOTOXMoAFJx
One day I might go visit those places. For now, I had my reason to stay here. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlD2AxA3AX1
I wonder if she just stopped to stare at the beauty of the moon too. Maybe she sewed in her room while wondering about things beyond her reach like I did? 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN8qgptKZih
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9x2JiiZZz
I smiled at the moon and laid back, so I didn't have to take my eyes from it. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpJSL9jef7c
The soft grass would be my bed tonight. Usually, I roamed for food or trash on the roadside for several kilometres to try and salvage something until sleep sapped my energy and I collapsed wherever I was. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgCgNtquMcZ
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa1Lw1MNYhm
The moonlit field of fireflies would be nice tonight. I could wait until Missy gifted me with her wonderful food tomorrow. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoT0oyHsfYH
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJQ3LwoFfbU
I curled up with my hands wrapped around me, pretending they were hers cradling me and breathing warmth into me. 342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmW5clB7pz0
342Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxbZYJGezK6
One day...
Penana
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